SOCIAL CLIMATE FUND Public Transport and Shared Mobility #EGUM Subgroup

Have you ever heard about the Expert Group on Urban Mobility #EGUM chaired by a representative of European Commission DG MOVE?

The group was established by the Commission as a reinforced platform for dialogue and co-creation of actions to implement the new EU urban mobility framework. It aims to enable stronger engagement by Member States and improved dialogue with cities, regions, and stakeholders on all urban mobility issues. Several partners within the UPPER Project EU consortium are part of it and have been actively contributing to all subgroups set up by DG MOVE. In particular, Eurocities, EIT Urban Mobility, Polis, and the European Cyclists'​ Federation focused on the "Public transport and shared mobility" subgroup, contributing to the writing and adoption (Jan 16) of the first set of recommendations. In Topic 4A -How to guarantee public transport inclusiveness considering aging, gender, disabilities, and reduced mobility- UPPER' Mobility as a right concept #MAAR was cited as "one of the pillars of future transport systems." 🎉

Furthermore, on 25 June, the Commission’s Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM) adopted recommendations on complementing public transport with shared mobility, and on using the Social Climate Fund to support public transport. The recommendations address the European Commission, Member States, regional and local authorities. The number of journeys from suburban and rural areas to metropolitan centers continues to rise due to demographic changes and urban sprawl. EGUM finds that shared mobility has the potential for everyday journeys. But first, it must be combined with public transport to offer a credible and effective alternative to the private car. The expert group’s recommendations cover infrastructure, safety and the redistribution of public spaces, the digital integration of transport data, and multimodality, among other topics.

The Social Climate Fund (SCF) was created to enable Member States to support groups affected by the green transition, including those at risk of transport poverty. EGUM points to examples of measures and initiatives in place around the EU and beyond, focused on public transport and shared mobility services, that other countries, regions, and cities may wish to implement. They range from concessionary fares and bike loan schemes to subsidies in exchange for car scrapping and extended bus routes.

Again UPPER consortium is part of it and has been actively contributing to the Social Climate Fund (Eurocities, EIT Urban Mobility, Polis, and the European Cyclists'​ Federation, EMTA)

UPPER wise, SCF focused on #TransportPoverty also providing several 'Examples of effective good practices of readily available, sustainable transport poverty mitigation measures' 

Public Transport enhancements

Île-de-France Region: New Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) - Vienna, Lisbon, Tartu: LIFE MOONSET Project - Transport for London (TfL): Superloop Bus Network and EV Charging Infrastructure - Budapest: Flattening the morning peak curve - Groningen-Drenthe: Redesigned Public Transport Networks and Hubs

Inclusivity and equity in transport

Helsinki: Transport Poverty research and measures for the elderly - City of Hasselt and Leuven's Mobility Budgets -Grenoble: Solidarity Pricing - Brussels: Vélo Solidaire, Bruxell’Air Subsidy and inclusive carsharing -

Sustainable mobility solutions

Île-de-France and Vitoria Gasteiz: Carpooling with Karos - Flanders: Basic accessibility policy -Helsingborg: Nudgd's sustainable mobility project - Bremen: Mobility Management for new developments - Milan/Lombardy Region: Mobility Services for specific user groups - Antwerp: Smart Ways Programme - Geneva sustainable mobility solutions

Cycling initiatives

Reduced barriers to ownership and use through subsidies and sharing schemes for specialist vehicles
such as adapted bikes, tricycles, and cargo bikes - Bike share subsidies, discounting or incentivisation for low-income households or households at risk of transport poverty – improving accessibility, availability and affordability

More info here